Andale: The Flavor of Capital Wasteland
by SummerJay
Summary: This story is from the point of view of Jack "Junior" Smith of Andale.
1. Chapter 1

*Haven't written in awhile, like years, so might not be the best but here it goes! Please read and review! I do not own Fallout or any of its characters! This entire story is told from Jack "Junior" Smith's, of Andale, point of view.*

Chapter One

Andale, what a great place. You couldn't find a better place to live in all of Capital Wasteland. I would know. I've lived here as long as I can remember. Everyone is so nice, and by everyone I mean eight people. There is myself, Jack Smith although my parents call me Junior, my good ol' Dad Jack, my momma Linda, my grandpa Harris, and then there are the Smiths. Not a big community I know, but good enough. We do get visitors sometimes, but I don't see them much. Momma says the leave late into the night so when I wake up they're gone. Most of the visitors we get are nice people, unlike the raiders that pass by. But Pops usually goes and "talks" with them.

Sometimes when I sit up in my room I look out the window and think to myself _" Geeze, what a big world out there. I wonder if there are any other kids out there like me….I wish I could go find 'em." _ It gets lonely out here in Andale, what with only one more kid my age to play with, Jenny Wilson. She's okay but a bit stubborn. My parents don't work. My father spends most of his time in the basement or in his shed in the back. Momma says I'm not allowed to go in there. Not until I'm older. I think I'm pretty gosh darn old! But the doors are locked and I can't find the key. Jenny and me try to find them but we always get caught. Momma scolds me and sends me to bed without dinner, which is okay with me sometimes. The meat around here is strange. It has a funny taste but Momma is always telling me we are better off than most people in the Wasteland…

_Fifteen Years Later…._

I sat there and held the old diary entry in my hand. I couldn't believe it had been fifteen years since I ran away from home. I had too. But somehow by finding this old entry made me want to go back, to see how things were with the family. A cup of whiskey was placed next to me and I looked up. Gob, the ghoul bartender. He gave me a smile, or what I thought to be a smile. I smiled and nodded. "Thanks, Gob." He smiled before Moriarty came up behind him and gave him a swift slap on the back of the head. " Now I'm not payin' ya to stand around and gross out me customers!" Gob whined and nodded. " Yes sir." I sipped the whiskey and looked at Gob. He sighed and went into the backroom. I went back to looking at the old entry. The more I looked at it the more I wanted to go back. It wasn't a want, exactly, but an urge. The door to Moriarty's Saloon creaked open behind me. I looked back to see an unfamiliar face. Now I hadn't been in Megaton for awhile but its easy to get to know everyone just after a week. The woman looked young and didn't look as though she was around here. She glanced over the contents of the bar and looked over into the side room. I could hear her talking with someone. A man by the tone of his voice. I shrugged and went back to drinking the whiskey. The piece of paper in my hand felt hot and I knew that as soon as I was done in the bar I had to go back home. The woman came out of the side room. On the back of her outfit were the numbers _"101"._ "_Strange…"_ I thought to myself. A few minuets later the woman was followed by the man she must have been talking to. He looked at me through his dark tinted glasses and tilted his hat to me. I forced a smile on my face and went back to drinking the rest of my whiskey. I put a couple of bottle caps on the bar counter and put the glass top down over them. Gob came out and I nodded down at them. He smiled gratefully, showing a couple of the teeth that were left in his mouth. I turned and left the saloon.

The man and the woman were nowhere to be found. It struck me as odd that they could disappear so fast. I gave it no thought as I made my way out of Megaton. I was going to miss my place, but it would only be for a few days. As I headed towards the entrance I passed the big undetonated bomb. The local worshippers were there basking in the puddle it had created. I shook my head as the preacher spoke of religion and the bomb. "_Nonsense, I think they've had too much radiation poisoning."_ I walked out of Megaton and sighed. This was going to be a long journey but it would be worth it in the end. I gave one final look at the entry. "I never did find out what was in the basement…or the shed. Well I'm older now and bound to find out!" I chuckled to myself as I made it for Andale.

Night had fallen over Capital Wasteland and this meant trouble. Raiders were out scouring the land for helpless victims to rob and kill. I continued down the road slowly making sure I wasn't being followed. The ground under me began to shake. I turned around and saw a huge mushroom cloud on the horizon. My eyes were wide with shock. The bushes around me trembled in the shock wave. "Megaton! NO!" I watched the only place that I could actually call home blow up. Gob and everyone…gone. There was nothing I could except continue on to my other home. Hopefully this one wouldn't blow up.

It had taken me all night to reach Andale. The sun was just coming up and no one seemed to be awake yet. I thought I would drop in and see my good ol' grandpa once again. I walked past my old house on the way to Grandpa Harris's house. The old shed was still in the back. "Must still be in use…" I said under my breath. I read Harris's door and gave a few knocks. Slowly, the door opened and he looked at me confused. "Grandpa?" I said, confused myself. He adjusted his glasses somewhat then smiled. "Junior, my boy, how have ya been?" He invited me inside and gave me a pat on the back. "I've been good grandpa. And yourself?" He pointed to a chair and smiled. "Have a seat, my boy. Water? Beer? Anything?" It had been awhile since I had a drink. "Water please, hold the radiation." Grandpa laughed and went to the kitchen. "I've been good. Just tryin' to keep my old self busy. Where ya been all these years?" He filled up two glasses of water and entered the living room. He sat down in the chair next to mine and set his glass on a wooden coffee table. I took a long drink from the cup and set it down on the table. "Well I wandered around Capital Wasteland for while then settled down in a place called Megaton…" My throat felt heavy when I spoke about Megaton. "Sorry grandpa, about running away." He shook his hand at me and smiled. "Don't worry about it my boy. I knew it was bound to happen sooner or later. Curiosity gets the best of people. Especially young boys! I'm just glad to see you again. You're parents…."

His voice trailed off and his eyes widened. " Junior listen to me, you have to get out of here. Now!" His sudden fear scared me. "What?" I watched him get out of his chair and grab me. He pulled me out of my and pushed me towards the back door. "Get out of this town! They'll turn on you too!" I'd hate to say it but he was really starting to piss me off. "Grandpa, calm down. Have you gone mad?" We got to the back door and he opened it. He was starting to say something about murder when my mother's face greeted the both of us. Grandpa was shocked when he saw her. "Well there you are! I've been looking all over for you! For fifteen years, Mister!" She pulled me into a tight embrace. "I've missed you so much dear! Please come home and talk with me and your father. We have so much catching up to do!" It was nice to see Mom again. She smiled all the way to our house, where my father greeted me at the door. "Son! It's been so long!" My father hugged me and patted my back. "Have they been feedin' ya out there? Doesn't look like it!" He laughed and walked into the kitchen. My mother stepped in behind me and closed the door. The place looked the same as it did fifteen years ago. But still, it was home. "So sport, you want anything?" I stepped into the kitchen and sat down at the table. "No thanks, Dad. I was just visiting with Grandpa. Speaking of Grandpa, is he okay?" My father sat down across from me and opened a beer. "He's been acting a little strange lately. Speaking of death and killing. Maybe the Wasteland is finally getting to him after all these years." As my father spoke I looked at the basement door behind him. I thought I could hear a scream down there, but my mother's voice interrupted my thoughts. "Well I will be making dinner soon. I hope you have an appetite!"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

After dinner, my parents and I sat around the table and talked about old times. It seemed as though Jenny ran away shortly after I did. "I guess that girl thought of you as more than just a friend!" My mother shot me a wink and smiled. I had to admit, Jenny was my best friend. My _only_ friend, and to hear that she wasn't here anymore kind of took out the fun of being back in Andale. It didn't seem like Jenny to run away, but I guess like Grandpa had said curiosity does get the best of young kids.

There was a knock at the door. "Oh? I wonder who that could be!" My mother, no matter what mood she was in, always sounded so happy. She answered the door and invited the stranger inside. It was a Wastelander as always. I was just glad it wasn't a raider. "Please, have a seat!" The old woman sat down while my mother got her a drink. The woman looked tired and haggard. She couldn't have been more than forty-five but looked a lot older. "Thank you so much for taking me in." My mother set a glass of water on the table and smiled. "It wasn't a problem, dear! Jack, be a doll and set up a bed for this woman upstairs. You don't mind do you, Junior?" I shook my head and smiled. "Great!" My mother was so enthusiastic. My father got up and went upstairs to do as my mother commanded. I felt a little bit awkward sitting at the table with my mother and a stranger, so I decided to head out and talk with the Wilsons.

I knocked on the Wilson's black, from fire, door. After a moment or two Bill Wilson opened the door. "Hey! If it isn't Jack Junior himself! How ya been kid?" I smiled and stepped inside after a gesture from Bill's hand. "Been as good as I can be out here. How about you, Mr. Wilson? Everything been as good as it gets?" Bill sighed and nodded. " Yeah, things have been pretty good. You know how Andale is. Best in all of Capital Wasteland! Hey, honey, look whose here!" Seconds later, his wife Martha came in. Now to tell the truth, Martha intimidated me. She always wore a business suit and dark tinted glasses. I never knew the real color of her eyes because she always wore those glasses whenever I saw her. "Hello, Junior! Good to see you again, dear!" She hugged me and looked at her husband. "Sad that Jenny isn't around for this moment. Poor dear." Her husband rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder. " That was one of the reasons I came over, Mrs. Wilson. I wanted to ask about Jenny." Mrs. Wilson gave a small smile and took my hand. "Of course dear, anything." I smiled and thought of wear to begin. " Do you know where she would have went? Maybe I could go find her?" Mrs. Wilson's hand tightened on mine. "We-have no idea where she would be. She just said she was going out to find you. And we haven't seen her since. That was about after the time you left." Her voiced wavered. "Okay. Thank you anyways Mrs. Wilson I should be going." I hugged them one last time and headed home.

When I got home the old woman was nowhere to be found. "Mom?" The house was quiet but my mother's voice could be heard down in the basement. I went to the basement door and turned the knob. It was unlocked. My heart froze with excitement. This was my chance to actually find out what was down there. I opened the door but got no farther than the first step. "Honey! You know you're not allowed down here!" Denied once again. "Sorry…I was just looking for you. Where did that old woman go?" My mother sighed and smiled. "Oh, she had to go. Poor old woman couldn't even wait till tomorrow. They never seem to stay as long as we would like them too!" I hadn't seen the woman and I was only next door. Oddly enough her water was spilled on the table. "I guess she was in such a hurry that she spilled her water too!" My mother grabbed a towel and cleaned up the mess. "Where's Dad?" My mother put down the towel and shook her head. "Oh you know your father! Always working on something in that basement!" She smiled and went to clean the bathroom. "Huh…" I remember my father always being in that basement "working" on something, but nothing ever came out of there. I went upstairs to lie down. Most of my things from childhood were still up here. My old toy car and a stuffed teddy bear that I called "Franklin" were at the bottom of my toy chest. Not many toys but then again there wasn't much of anything out here. I closed the lid to the toy chest and sat on my bed. Stiff as always. But sleep wasn't reluctant to come.

I slept late until the next day. It didn't seem as though anyone was home. The doorbell down stairs went off. There wasn't any shuffle of feet from downstairs so I got up and went down to answer the door. I was surprised, more like shocked to see who it was. It was the woman from Moriarty's Saloon. "Um, hello. Can I help you?" She pushed her way past me and looked around the house. Her demeanor irritated me. I followed her to the kitchen where I grabbed her by the wrist. "What the _hell_ do you think you're doing?" Her eyes ran up and down, looking at me intently. "You're in trouble, you need to get out of here." I dropped her wrist and looked at her dumbly. "What are you talking about? This is where I live. This is my house!" She turned and looked at me. Next thing I knew she pulled out a pistol and had me backed against the wall. "So you're one of them? One of those _Monsters_!" I looked at her bewildered. Monsters? Who was she talking about? I shook my head. " Monsters? What are you talking about?" She pushed me harder against the wall. "Don't play stupid with me! I know you know!" I pushed her away, or tried too, and told her I didn't know what she was talking about her. I felt the pressure of her hand against my throat relax. She backed off and went looking around the kitchen again. Her hand rested on the basement door. "That's always locked. I don't even know what's down there." She sighed and turned and looked at me. " What's your name kid?" "Junior, and yours?" "Heather." We stood there in the kitchen.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

The silence was mind numbing. Could I trust her? I mean she did, in fact, blow up Megaton. "Oh, you're the kid they keep talking about, the one who ran away. Good choice kid. You might have saved your life." I watched her walk away from the basement and make her way to the living room. "Hey wait! What do you mean, 'I might have saved my life?'" She stopped and looked back at me, irritated. "I think its better if I show you and not explain it. You wouldn't believe me anyways." Heather turned back around and headed upstairs. When she got to the top, she looked down and called over "Stay down there and keep a look out for your 'parents'". Heather disappeared before I could say anything back. I decided to look out the window. Oddly enough, no one was around. Upstairs I could hear Heather curse under her breath as she rummaged through the wardrobes. "Aha!" She ran down the hall and then down the stairs. "The key to all your secrets. Lets go, before they come back!" Heather took me by my hand and led me back to the basement door. "Heather, please. Tell me what's going on…or at least what you think is going on." She put the key in the keyhole and paused. "Have you ever thought to yourself why everyone leaves during the night? Why no one has ever stayed? And how you mysteriously have enough food even though no one around here hunts?" She turned the key and the door unlocked.

The stairs led down into darkness. The echoes of water dripping was all that could be heard. Heather had some kind of device on her arm that she used as a flashlight. "Lets go. Close the door behind you so they won't have suspicions." I followed Heather and made sure the door was tightly closed behind me. Something told me this was a bad idea and I felt a little scared. We came to the bottom of the stairs. Heather looked for a light switch and was successful in finding one. The lights flickered on over head and somehow I wish they had never came on. There was blood all over the floor. Not just a drop here and there, but puddles. Puddles of blood decorated the once cement grey floor. Bloody handprints also lined the floor, as if someone was trying to crawl towards the stairs. Cages were lined up along the walls of the basement. Old skeletons were still in them, even small ones, small enough to be a child. My stomach felt like it was floating. Heather walked around and observed the body parts that were strewn about the various counters that were arranged in the middle of the basement. I walked over and looked at the cages. Each one looked like it had been here for ages. One cage held a small skeleton still wearing a pink dress. The dress was, however, tattered and torn along the edges but I knew that dress. "Jenny…..They ate Jenny! They're eating people!" Heather ran over to me and cupped my mouth. Upstairs there were foot steps. Heather darted over and turned off the lights. She used the thing on her arm again to light the room. Laughter could be heard. It sounded as though there was someone with them. My thoughts ran wildly. Thoughts of my parents coming down here and finding us. Finding us and then killing us and then…. "The key!" Heather whispered. My heart sank even more. We still had the key.

Upstairs, the door knob moved. Heather and I backed up to the far wall and waited. I could hear Heather pull out her pistol and load it. I honestly didn't care whether she pulled the trigger or not. These people might have been my parents but I no longer cared after what they had done to Jenny. The door full opened letting a blinding light escape through the door opening. All I could see was my father's silhouette. There was another silhouette, but it didn't belong to my mother. Heather pulled me closer to one of the tables in the middle of the room. It was a good idea because my father had turned on the lights and came down the stairs. Sitting there with Heather, my heart was racing. Was this it? Was she going to kill my father and the rest of the town? A slight whimpering broke my thoughts. Heather looked over the table top momentarily. "A young woman…..he's taking her to one of the cages." Heather whispered quickly. There was a rattling sound of keys, and then a screeching sound as the door to the cage opened. My father must have thrown her in with some force because the woman let out a yelp and started to cry. " Oh, hush now. It wont be long now." He chuckled and went up the stairs to turn off the lights. All was dark and quiet, except for the sounds of the woman's sobs.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Heather and I sat there listening to woman cry. Her cries cut at me like a jagged knife, the kind of knife that she would be cut with. "Let's get her out of here." I spoke harshly. I knew Heather was devising some kind of plan to get the woman out of here. "We wait till night." That's all she said. Night? But my father said it wouldn't be long. Then again I thought "_they always left during the middle of the night…." _Hopefully they had time. Heather turned on the device on her arm. "What is that?" I asked curiously. "This is my _Pipboy 300_. You get one when you live in the vault." Now my head was filled with even more questions, but there wasn't any time for them. Heather crawled over to the woman in the cage. I followed her and tried to be as quiet as I could be, every step sounded like thunder.

The woman jumped and looked at Heather with wide, tear filled eyes. "Shhh. It's okay. We are here to help." She looked at us with hasty eyes, but her breathing seemed to slow. "Please, get me out of here. I don't know what's going to happen to me, but it can't be good." Heather nodded and placed her hands around the bars. "Don't worry. You will be free." A slight smile formed on the woman's face. Dust fell from the ceiling above. I thought about what my parents could have been thinking about doing to this poor woman.

There was a loud noise upstairs. Things were being thrown around and tipped over. Someone was looking for something. My heart raced and my stomach sank. My father had remembered the key! This meant the door was unlocked. A way out. I leaned over and told Heather. "This could be risky, but it could work." But before our plan went anywhere, the basement door opened. Heather and I slowly kept to the shadows while crawling back behind one of the tables. My father stepped down the stairs, slowly, holding something in his hand. _"His favorite Revolver…_" I signaled Heather and she nodded her head. My father turned on the lights and look around. On the ground he saw something shine. He chuckled, "Honey…I found it! Looks like it slipped out of my pocket!" My mother came down and shut the door behind her. "Oh! I hope you don't have a hole in your pants! Give them to me later dear and I will check them out." She stepped down each step with such grace, like the world had never experience a nuclear war. My parents really were insane.

The woman in the cage whimpered at the site of them. She cowered in the cage, knees right below her chin. My father walked over to the cage ad unlocked it. "Now now dear, it's time." He grinned and opened the cage door. She screamed as he wrapped his hand around her arm and pulled her out. The woman struggled, my mother laughed. "Come now dear, it won't hurt….for long." The woman's eyes grew wide with fear. "No please! I'm begging you! Please have mercy!" My father got the woman to the ground. "Honey, could you please get me the rope." "Why surely my dear husband." She smiled and went over to the side of the room and grabbed some rope. I watched intently, my mother looking down at my father. I couldn't see my father, but I knew he was tying her hands and feet together. My mother bent over, helping my father lift the woman up onto the table. "Oh, honey, could you please get me the gag rag? It should be hanging over there on the wall." My mother smiled and turned to get the rag. My father petted the old woman. "We have some recipes we have never got to try yet, but thanks to you that will be possible tonight!" My father smiled as he was handed the rag. I looked to Heather and she looked paralyzed. "We should help her…now!" I whispered as quietly as I could. She looked to her gun and shook her head. "I'm out of ammo…" Heather looked over the counter, as did I. We saw my mother hold my father's Revolver. On the table there was a shot gun and an assault rifle. We were in trouble.

My father tied the rage around the woman's head so that the rage was in her mouth. She coughed and tried to bit her way through the gag. Tears streamed down the side of her head. "Hurry up dear! Dinner needs to be prepared soon! I will go and get the rest of tonight's dinner set up!" She went up the stairs humming a tune. My father smiled and looked at the woman. "Hmmmm, where did I put that knife…Ah, Here it is, you were laying on it! Trying to fool me now where you?" He laughed and pushed a button on the handle of the knife. There was a high pitched grinding noise. "I call this thing The Ripper. It's one of my favorite tools!" The woman saw it get closer to her throat, closer it crept the noise getting louder and louder. Then she felt burning and heard ripping. Blood splattered her face, and everything went black. Heather and I watched, my eyes watering, burning. I could feel my jaw slacken when the woman's head departed from her body. My father did this to her arms and her legs. The woman was reduced to nothing but a torso. He stopped and switched knives. "Don't want to rip the internals!" He laughed and made a large incision on the woman's stomach. Reaching inside, he pulled out her stomach, and the rest of her digestive system.

I felt everything in me rise to my throat. I held my breath and tried not to think about it. Heather was still staring, eyes fixated on the woman's dismembered body. "Oh, geeze! I forgot the bucket!" He dried his hands on a towel and walked up the stairs. I shook Heather and she just stared at me. "Heather listen to me, now is our chance. We can grab the guns and go!" Heather blinked and nodded. "You're right. Let's move." Slowly we crawled to the table stood up. I grabbed the shotgun, while Heather grabbed the Revolver. I couldn't help but look at the woman on the table. "We tried our best. Don't blame yourself, Heather." She nodded and headed up the stairs.

About halfway up the stairs the door opened and my father came back down. Heather pointed the gun at his head and pulled the trigger. He fell back, hole in his head, and pushed the door open. My mother stepped in the door way and looked down, then looked at us. Heather pulled the trigger again and dropped my mother to the floor. I didn't know what to do, but there wasn't anything else that could have been done. Upstairs, Heather held the gun out ready for anyone or anything. The house was completely empty. "Alright, we go outside now. Be ready." I loaded the shotgun as we headed out the front door.


	5. Chapter 5

Outside, the entire neighborhood was alive. Apparently they had not seen us exit my house. The Wilson's walked the small, dark streets of Andale, weapons in hand. " Alright, " I whispered " you take out the one with the gun, and I will get the one with the knife." Heather aimed her pistol and shot Mr. Wilson right through the side of his head. Mrs. Wilson heard the gun shot and looked our way. I quickly took the opportunity and fired the shotgun at her before she had a chance to make her move. Her whole body exploded into a red curtain of blood. Body parts splattered and blood rained down onto the streets.

" I think that's all of them." Next to us, a door opened. It was my grandpa. I ran over to him and stopped. " I'm sorry I didn't listen to you before." He waved a hand to dismiss my apology. " It's okay, Junior. It had to be done. If you're wondering, you'll find the same thing in the shed as you found in the basement. They started running out of room. Listen , why don't you come inside for the night. You know how dangerous it can be at these times." Heather seemed wary of his offer, but I shook my head and she agreed. We all went inside.

Later that night, we all sat at the kitchen table. My grandfather drank a glass of water while Heather and I drank from a bottle of whiskey. "Yep, this has been going on for quite sometime. Long before you were born, Junior. Horrible things were done in this town. But it had to be done. Survival of the fittest." My grandfather spoke quietly, eying the radiated water in his cup. " Junior there's something else you should know. You're parents, well, they were related to the Wilsons. Everyone in this town is related. Your parents are the brother and sister of the Wilson family. Jenny was not only your friend but your cousin too." He sighed, looking at my face for any sign of emotion. To be honest, I didn't know what to think. Jenny, my cousin? It seemed almost mind blowing. This means that not only did I kill my parents but also my aunt and uncle. Heather stared at me, sipping from the whiskey bottle. My grandfather took one last drink and got up. " Listen I'm gonna head to bed. I will understand if you leave. But if you do, come back every now and then." He smiled slightly and left the room. Heather handed me the whiskey bottle and I drank a mouthful. The whiskey coated my throat and burned my stomach. I had to get my mind off of this. At least for now.

" So tell me, what was it like living in the vault?" Heather looked up, surprised at his question. " Vault life...let's see. Vault life was...boring and miserable. I mean, as a kid it was pretty cool. You knew everyone, you grew up with all your friends and you'd know they would be there with you for all of your life. But after living there for nineteen years or so, you realize it's not all that great." She signaled for the whiskey bottle and I passed it to her. "Why...I mean how did you leave?" Heather sipped at the bottle and sighed. She looked down at her _ Pipboy 3000_ and spoke without looking at me. " My father left the vault one day. He escaped. As of that day no one thought escape was possible. The Overseer was pissed and sent the vault officers to come get me. To 'question' me. Luckily one of my friends, the Overseer's daughter, helped me to get out. And I did just that. I left hoping to find my father." She sat there and scraped dried blood of her _Pipboy 3000._ I remained seated there as well thinking over the things she had said. _"So there really was an escapee from one of the vaults..."_ My thoughts were interrupted by what my grandfather had told me and how I really didn't have a home now. Especially since Megaton was gone. At that moment, I remembered something. "Hey! You were the one who blew up Megaton!"I confronted Heather at last. Heather looked up at me with bold eyes. "I went there looking for answers about my father. I got some hints as to where he was at. But then I met Mr. Birk."

Heather sipped at the whiskey once more. She swished it around the bottle before speaking. "I needed the caps. I needed to find my father, even if I had to bribe somebody for information. And I had no choice. I was to blow up Megaton or be killed by bounty hunters. You see...Mr. Birk worked for a guy named Tenpenny. Tenpenny owned Tenpenny Tower and from his tower Tenpenny said Megaton was obscuring his view of The Capital Wasteland. Mr. Birk was instructed to blow it up or find someone to do it. That's where I came in." I stood up, angered by this news. I wasn't going to let some old guy push people around out here. " I think we need to pay this Tenpenny a vist." Heather stood up and looked into her _Pipboy 3000._ " Alright, I'll lead the way." We left my grandfather's house. I was somewhat sad to leave him all alone, but I knew he was better off this way.

The sun was rising just as we saw a tall tower stretching out from the horizon. " Well that's Tenpenny Tower." I felt the anger inside me start to grow. My chest was getting tight and breathing was becoming harder. Outside of Tenpenny Tower a ghoul was talking on the side of the gate through an intercom. "No I will NOT go away! You can't silence me. I will be back until Tenpenny let's me in!" Heather groaned. " He's still here?" Heather pushed the ghoul aside and spoke through the intercome. " It's Heather." There was a moments silence and then someone spoke back. "Oh, Birk's accomplice. You're expected upstairs." The gates opened and we went in. Just as I entered, the gates slammed shut behind me. The noise made me jump, but settle the anger inside of me.

We entered the main lobby of the tower. There was a small front desk in the middle of the lobby. Heather walked up to the desk and spoke to the guard behind it. He seemed quite content with the clipboard he was looking at. "Do you know where I can find Tenpenny?" He pulled himself away from the clipboard and looked at Heather. Just as she expected, he was high on Psycho. "Um yeah, he's upstairs. Take the um elevator." Heather signaled for me to follow her to the elevator. The elevator was in good condition, compared to everything else in the Wasteland. The doors opened and they were at the top of the tower. The top floor seemed vacant. One of the doors was guarded by a chair. There was a magazine sitting on a small table next to the chair. Holding the magazine down was a bottle of whiskey. " Looks like a guard post. But where's the guard?"Heather looked around, suspicious. I noticed the door to the room that the chair was guarding was slightly opened. I rushed inside and saw the room was a mess. Papers were strewn about the floor, the beds were tipped over and the wardrobes were all open. There was a trail of blood on the floor that I followed all the way to the back room. I stopped and saw the trail continue to a puddle of blood. The trail seeped into the puddle. The puddle was emitting from the dead body that lay on top of the puddle. I looked up from the body and saw a man looking over the balcony's edge. He was tall and wore a long leather jacket. A leather hat and long hair dressed his head. I raised my shotgun. " Tenpenny?" I spoke through my teeth. The man turned his head to the side and smiled. "Tenpenny's dead..." He laughed a deep, malicious laugh and turned around to face us.

**This is the end of Andale: The Flavor of Capital Wasteland. This is the first book in its installment. The second book is in progress and the first chapter will be released shortly. The second book will have a different title, but will continue right where this one left off. Thanks for reading! :D**


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